Cycling speed - lever vs bolt

cdncowboy

cdncowboy

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Assuming the shooter is equally proficient with each action, is there much of a cycling speed difference between the lever action vs the bolt over say a 5 shot group?
 
I think the bolt has less of a 'throw' than the lever, so I would give it a slight edge, may also depend on the rifle and smoothness of the bolt or lever.
 
jeff270 said:
Yes.
But the larger and closer the target is ,the faster the lever gun will be.
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Reminds me of the opening scene of 'The Rifleman', where he shoots his large loop lever like a semi auto, not sure of accuracy though but as you say, if you are close, it may not matter.
 
freezer filler said:
Watch a couple cowboy action shooting videos and you will see there is no comparison...lever is waaay faster
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I should have specified 'non-competitive shooter' as the average shooter/hunter does not shoot like the 'cowboy shooter' pulling the trigger at the same instance the lever touches the stock.
 
Levers are faster. It's undeniable.

Bolts are simpler, more reliable, stronger, have better triggers, are available in more and more useful calibers, are lighter, smell better, and regrow lost hair.
 
What about lever vs pump?

Lever is for sure quicker than a bolt, just think of how much more complicated the hand movements are when running a bolt and finding the tripper after each cycle. A pump on the other hand ... I'm curious
 
kamlooky said:
You can lever on the shoulder.
Trying this with a bolt and it should be fun to wartch.
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Bartledan said:
Levers are faster. It's undeniable.

Bolts are simpler, more reliable, stronger, have better triggers, are available in more and more useful calibers, are lighter, smell better, and regrow lost hair.
Click to expand...

Working a bolt at the shoulder really isn't all that hard......

And yes, in general, levers are faster, but if you are working either at the shoulder then what becomes most important (in a hunting rifle) is how long it takes to reaquire a sight picture for your second shot.... if it takes 2 seconds to find your right picture then the fact that you can cycle a lever in .5 seconds or a bolt in .9 seconds is irrelevant...

Trying to hit an 8 inch vital area on a live animal at 75-100 yards is different than shooting cowboy and trying to hit an 8" silhouette at 50
 
Aimed shots? I would say in the hands of an experienced shooter and with a modern short throw bolt I would have to go with pump - bolt - lever. I could never keep on battery with a lever action. I find the Savage 99 better than the Winchesters I have shot but still the working of that lever just jarred things out of battery every time.
 
^^ Not quite fair to compare a pistol calibre lever gun to a bolt gun which are more likely to be 7mm/.303/.308 etc. Bolt throw is much shorter on the '73 and 92 Winchesters to begin with.

I'm faster and smoother running a Mauser 98 bolt gun from my shoulder than a Winchester 94 in .30/30. Any difference in speed is likely to come down to which you're most practiced and proficient with.
 
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